This invention relates to a track belt for snowmobiles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a track belt for snowmobiles wherein a slide rail for guiding a track belt is not damaged and a contact resistance between the track belt and the slide rail is reduced.
A main body of a track belt for snowmobiles is made of a rubber as its principal component. The track belt is molded in an endless form, is passed around a driving wheel and a driven wheel that are fitted to a car body side, and is driven. To drive such a track belt, a large number, in rows and columns, of drive lugs for engaging with the driving wheel are disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the track belt in a peripheral direction of the belt at a pre-determined pitch. In order to guide the track belt by two right and left metal guide rails supported on the car body side and extending in the belt peripheral direction, a large number of guide clips are fitted in the belt peripheral direction at a predetermined pitch.
As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,065 and 4,217,006, the guide clip has a main guide portion for guiding the lower surface of the guide rail, and is equipped one of the sides of this main guide portion with a flange portion for guiding the side surface of the guide rail. The guide clip is fitted in such a manner that its flange portion extends along the side surface of the drive lugs.
In the conventional guide clip of U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,865, its flange portion is shaped in a planar form and the guide clip is fitted under the state where the outer peripheral edge of its flange portion is exposed on the lug surface. Therefore, when the snowmobile turns quickly and the side surface of the guide rail is brought into strong sliding contact with the flange portion of the guide clip, its plain flange portion generates a great frictional resistance and impedes a smooth turning motion. When the snowmoble jumps up greatly, the guide rail sometimes floats up from the guide clips and then comes once again into contact with the guide clips. At the time of this re-contact, the guide rail is scraped off by the edge at the outer peripheral portion of the flange portion and is damaged from time to time.
In the case of the guide clips of the latter reference, i.e. U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,006, the upper end of the flange portion is fitted in such a fashion that its upper end portion is bent outward and the bent portion covers the upper surface end portion of the drive lugs. Therefore, in the case of this guide clip, too, the edge at the upper end of the flange portion is exposed on the surface of the drive lugs and when the snowmobile jumps greatly, the guide rail is damaged often by the edge at the upper end of the flange portion.